Wembley delight

Victorious pupils from King Ecgbert School have been crowned queens of Wembley after an exciting sudden-death penalty shoot-out at the npower Football League Girls Cup Final.

Published:12:28Thursday 07 April 2011

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It’s the kind of thing that most people dream about.

But 12-year-old Tegan Allen-Warwick is living the dream after not only scoring the winner for King Ecgbert’s School at Wembley stadium but also saving TWO from the penalty spot in a nerve-wracking sudden-death 4-3 shoot-out victory.

And it gets better. For Blades season ticket-holder Tegan was wearing the colours of her beloved Sheffield United as her school represented the club at the nPower Football League Girls Cup Final against Queens of Watford.

The Kings beat the Queens with Tegan providing the checkmate move to the delight of her team-mates and coach Caroline Brown.

Modest Tegan said it was a team effort: “I was really nervous for the first save because if that had gone in they would have won the cup. The second one was straight at me so I just had to bend down and pick up the ball.

“If my team-mates hadn’t scored their penalties we wouldn’t have had a chance to win so we are all very pleased.”

The match ended 0-0 after a late Queens effort hit both posts before rolling to safety.

King Ecgbert player Tilly Hallas-Potts added: “It felt amazing to win – I will never forget this feeling and I’m going to tell my children. We were extremely nervous but I knew we could do it. Even when they hit the post I knew we could win.”

Mark Todd, community development manager at Sheffield United, said: “The penalty shoot-out was a really tense affair and it was a great relief when they won. It has been a pleasure accompanying the girls to the various stages of the competition and they have been a real credit to their school, Sheffield United and the city.”

King Ecgbert’s and Queens battled through three rounds of local and regional tournaments to reach the competition’s climax played prior to kick-off in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy Final between Carlisle and Brentford.

Organised by the Football League Trust and the community teams at all 72 clubs, 4,500 girls from 600 schools took part with the Blades team finishing as champions.